LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) – Some people in Lakewood are worried after a series of mysterious cat disappearances.

About a dozen cats have vanished over the past few months near the Denver Federal Center and neighbors are worried the worst may be yet to come.

“I see a cat’s paw; the whole paw,” Diana Sequin said. “It just killed me. I just cried and got on my knees.”

Sequin, an owner of four cats, was devastated last week after finding part of her neighbor’s cat in her yard. It was one of many mysterious pet disappearances in her Lakewood neighborhood at Taft and West Dakota Drive.

“It’s just a sad, sad thing,” she said.

Neighbors say they’ve lost several pets over the last few weeks. Many have put up posters hoping for the animals’ safe return.

“We have raccoons, coyotes and foxes. Sometimes larger animals like lions and bears do come into town,” Jennifer Churchill with Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.

Churchill believes there’s an easy explanation for the mystery. She says animals like foxes and coyotes are everywhere in Colorado. They prey on smaller animals, especially in the summer.

“They’re out there looking for prey items and teaching their young how to hunt. So if there are loose cats out there, unfortunately they could be become part of the process,” Churchhill said.

Curtis Moore has lost three cats, including his cat, Walter, who’s hind leg was found by his next door neighbor.

“I don’t live in the mountains, I live in the city. I’m ok with wildlife, but I don’t like them eating my pets,” Moore said.

As the posters multiply in her neighborhood, Sequin walks her cat on a leash. Other neighbors have serious questions about the mysterious animals roaming their streets.

“When they run out of pets, what are they going to attack then?” Moore said.

Wildlife experts say to be totally safe, unsupervised pets should never be allowed to run loose outside.